Bridge from Vizcaya | Disfruta Bizkaia

The Puente de Vizcaya is one of the most spectacular constructions in Biscay province.

**Useful information**
Opening hours	From 1 June to 30 October: continuous service. From 1 November to 30 May: Different intervals at night
Website	http://www.puente-colgante.com
Location	C/ Barria, Nº 3 48930 Las Arenas (Getxo) – Biscay
Prices Gondola	Pedestrians: €0.40 to €1.65 Empty car: €1.65 to €3.20 Bicycle + rider: €0.70 to €1.65
Prices Visit Footbridge	Standard ticket with audio guide: €9.00 Standard ticket: €7.00 Groups and special groups: €5.60 Request for guided visits http://www.puente-colgante.com/index.php/es/visita/solicitud-visita.html

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, the Puente Vizcaya (also known as the Puente Colgante [hanging bridge] was the first metallic shuttle bridge in the world.

Considered an engineering marvel of its time, it consists of a structure with four iron towers linked by a crossbar to create a structure 160 metres long.

The Hanging Bridge was built to link Portugalete with Getxo, and since it opened in 1893 it has ferried pedestrians and vehicles back and forth across the estuary in a 25-metre-long gondola that moves horizontally.

Recently, the Puente Bizkaia changed its black colour for a reddish-rust colour that features in emblematic buildings in Biscay such as the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao.
The gondola that carries passenger and vehicles is the element that has evolved most over the years. It used to be an open platform covered by a corrugated iron roof but is now completely closed in, offering greater safety and comfort to its passengers. The Puente Vizcaya was designed by Alberto Palacio y Elissague, who became well-known for his work in the construction of the Palacio de Cristal (glass palace) in the Retiro park in Madrid.

If you would like to learn more about the Puente de Vizcaya, you may be interested in the guided visits that cover all the elements of the bridge. You go up to the anchoring block, enjoy the terraces, go up in the elevator to the pedestrian platform 45 metres above the estuary and maybe cross from one side to the other in the gondola. Group visits are also possible, with 45-minute guided visits.